Starting Anew
by Little Grey Kitten
Summary: Carlisle expects it to be a typical night at Forks Hospital, but things change when an unconscious teenaged boy is brought in.  No Slash. Drabble-fic. AU for both books.
1. Chapter 1

Hi! This is just a drabble-fic that I wrote to take my mind of waiting for news of my father, who's in the hospital, which is why the setting of the story is in a hospital.

This is a non-slash Harry Potter/Twilight crossover. The prompt for the story was 'write for 25 minutes – medical professional – runaway'.

**4/15/2011 Edit:** Edited to change a couple of minor details (Harry's age) and to change the story from _Complete_ to _Work in Progress_

**Starting Anew**

by

Little Grey Kitten

The hospital was quiet that night, as it almost always was in such a small town as Forks, Washington, Dr. Carlisle Cullen mused absentmindedly as he did his rounds.

Some moments later, he heard the distant purr of a motor as somebody pulled into the Emergency Room parking lot. As the doctor on call, he made his way down the hall just in time to see one of the local police officers carrying in what looked to be a teenaged boy.

The boy was unconscious, dirty raven-black hair plastered to his head. Carlisle motioned for the officer to bring the young man to the back.

Once lain on the bed, and stripped of his sopping wet clothes, Carlisle began his examination as the police officer hung back.

"Don't know who he is. I know all the local families," The policeman offered, using a handkerchief to dry his glasses. "I saw him collapsed near the woods while I was making rounds. Tried to wake him, but he didn't so much as stir. He didn't seem hurt, just skinny as hell."

With that information Carlisle peeled back the teen's eyelid, and examined the pupils for reaction. The boy's eyes were very green, much like his son, Edward, eyes were before he was turned.

Some time later, the young John Doe was was admitted into the hospital, an IV of antibiotics and saline dripping into his veins. Carlisle frowned as he wrote his observations of the boy down. The boy appeared to be approximately fourteen to fifteen years old. He was skinny, malnourished, and bore several scars. Some scars obvious signs of abuse, others, like the strange zig zag, almost lightning bolt scar on his head, didn't seem to have come from the same person who'd beaten the teen. Two different scars on the boys arm were puncture marks. One seemed to be rounded, almost like a giant canine tooth, the other a knife wound.

Possibly the most disturbing scars were on the teen's right hand. Clear as day, in scrawling hand writing 'I must not tell lies.' Usually he would assume such an injury was self inflicted, but the angle was off. It was too straight, too perfectly written, even if the handwriting was poor. No, somebody did that to the teen. Carlisle's anger burned.

The teen would recover, physically, Carlisle mused, but Carlisle could not in good conscience, allow the boy to be returned to an abusive environment.

The next day Carlisle called the police station and faxed his report to them. "It's most likely that he's a runaway," he said to Chief Swan. "I've faxed over a picture of him so you can search the missing children's database. He's still unconscious, so we'll have to wait to find out his name."

When Harry Potter drifted awake, it was something of a shock to feel softness under his body, and something warm covering him. His last memories were of hurt, wet, and darkness. Cracking open his eyes, he found himself in a hospital room. Obviously not the local one in Little Whinging, or the hospital wing at Hogwarts. He was familiar enough with them to spot the difference immediately.

Harry didn't care though, he was warm, probably safe if he was at a hospital, and Voldemort, the bastard, he was dead. He'd done it. He'd become a murderer for the wizarding world. At sixteen... he was a murderer. Harry gripped his sheets and clenched his eyes shut to fight off the tears.

When the nurse came in to check on him, she was shocked to see the young John Doe laying in bed awake, thought it appeared that he as fighting back tears.

Feeling for the boy, she ran her fingers through his hair in an attempt to comfort him. "There now," she murmured when he looked up at her. "It's alright now. You're safe."

Harry looked up at the nurse, turning red from embarrassment. He hated when people saw him vulnerable!

Carlisle walked in the room at that moment. "Ah! So you're awake now, young man. I'm Dr. Carlisle Cullen. What's your name?" he asked as he went through checking Harry's vitals.

Harry stared gob-smacked at the handsome young doctor and his cold hands, but his thoughts were running a mile a minute. If he answered 'Harry Potter' then he'd have to go back. Back to the Dursley's, back to Grimmauld place.. back to the people who'd put the burden of murder on a teenaged boy's shoulder. If he lied though... if he lied they wouldn't find his 'relatives', nobody would come looking for him.. He could start over. Be who he wanted to be. Not the Boy-Who-Lived, or The Chosen One. Just himself. "James." he said after a few moments in silence. "James Orion." He may not want to be Harry Potter anymore, but he'd honor his father and godfather as best he could, they deserved no less.

And thus began James Orion's new life in the damp town of Forks Washington, United States of America.


	2. Chapter 2  Discovered

**Author's Notes:** First off, I'd like to apologize for how long this update has taken. Starting Anew was not supposed to be more than a one-shot. The open ending was intended to allow the reader to use their imagination at how things would progress. However, the reviews I've gotten for this story have encouraged me to continue it and I have spent some time going over what I want to happen. Allow me to remind you that this story is **not slash**, and may not have a pairing at all. Romance and sex are not the focus of this story. This is about Harry starting a new life and finding a caring family.

Secondly, due to the conflicting time-lines if the two stories, and the fact that the vast majority of this story is in the Twilight universe, I've chosen to use the Twilight time-line, making this story take place in the year 2005, the year Bella goes to live with her dad in Forks.

**Starting Anew**

by

Little Grey Kitten

**Chapter 2 – The Offices of Magic Government**

Maurice Reardon, a minor Magic Government official in the Children's Protective Services, tracked a large surge of under age magic in the Northwestern part of Washington State late that night, and immediately reported it to his department head.

"Alyssa, I just tracked a large burst of underage magic in Forks, Washington. It appears to have been an attempt at apparation. The magic was strong enough to have been a teenager." Maurice reported. "It's not a local kid though. The magical signature was not a match to any child in Washington State. I've got Marie broadening the search. She'll attempt to match it to known wizarding children across the Lower 48 and Canada."

Alyssa McPhearson nodded her head as she listened to the report. "Do you know where the child is now?"

Maurice glanced down at his written report briefly. "We've traced his or her magical signature to Forks, Washington. It's too small a town to narrow further."

Alyssa nodded her head and considered the options. She could go and look for the child herself, being sensitive to magical resonance, or she could catch up on her paper work. "I'll be off to Forks Washington, then won't I?" she said, offering Maurice a small smile.

Maurice shook his head at his bosses' hatred for paperwork and offered her a grin in return. "I'll give you a buzz if we find out the kid's name before you do."

"Very good," Alyssa replied as she stood up and gathered her things.

**Back in Forks...**

James Orion, formerly Harry James Potter, could admit, if only to himself, that he was frightened. He was in a different country, a minor, and, unless he was very much mistaken, Dr. Cullen was a vampire.

And wasn't that baffling? Granted, Harry thought, the only vampire he'd met was Sanguini, and it wasn't like there couldn't be good vampires and bad vampires. It was like saying there could only be good werewolves or bad werewolves. Remus Lupin; good werewolf. Fenrir Greyback; bad werewolf.

Now, though, he had no idea what would happen. James Orion had given him anonymity, but now the risk was that he'd be sent to an orphanage until he was eighteen. Uncle Vernon had threatened Harry with horrible stories of orphanages all through his childhood, and while he knew that Uncle Vernon was, hopefully, telling lies in order to make Harry behave, the fear was still there.

Maybe he should tell them the truth?

Alyssa looked at the small hospital and sighed. She attended to wizarding children in hospitals far too often in her mind. The underage magic, apparition no less, and hospitalization were not painting a pretty picture in her mind. Straitening her back and giving the air of one who knows exactly what they are doing she walked in and allowed her senses to guide her to the room of the child.

Glancing in the open door she took a moment to watch without being seen. A boy, approximately 14 or 15, she guessed. Black hair, dark eyes, green possibly. He was awake and fidgeting. He had the appearance of one conflicted.

Stepping in the room, she cleared her throat quietly so as not to startle the boy. "Hello, young man," she greeted with a touch of a smile. "My name is Alyssa McPhearson, I'm with the Children's Protective Services, Accidental and Underage Magics Department."

Harry sat up and eyed the woman warily. She was pretty, in an older woman sort of way, he supposed. Dark hair, peppered with gray, brown eyes. She was dressed like a muggle in a ladies suit, but Harry could see a faint impression of a wand holster on her left arm. He knew he should introduce himself, but as who? Harry Potter, or James Orion? "Hullo." he managed, quietly, attempting to buy himself some time.

Alyssa, who'd been watching Harry closely, noticed the faded lightning bolt scar. "Harry Potter." she breathed, frowning slightly.

Harry gulped, and turned his head away. "Voldemort's dead." was all he said, assuming the woman thought he'd run away from his 'destiny'.

Alyssa had to sit. All that mess in the UK was nearing an end then, and if the rumors that she and her co-works had been so disgusted with, that the British expected a little boy to save them, were true...

"They made me a murderer, Mrs. McPhearson, they told me I had to kill somebody, and evil somebody, but a person. I heard them after it was finished. Some want to congratulate me. Some think I want to walk in _his_ footsteps." Green eyes stared unflinchingly at the woman, anger giving him confidence. "I just want to be free."

Alyssa watched Harry Potter closely as he ranted and used the slightest touch of gentle Legilimency to verify he spoke the truth. "Mr. Potter, Harry.." she began, but Harry interrupted her.

"If you don't mind, I told the doctor that my name is James Orion. I'd prefer that, if you will."

Alyssa gave the boy a small glare for interrupting her, but nodded her consent. "Very well, James. As I was saying, are you asking for asylum here?"

Harry looked her straight in the eyes and attempted to look as certain and mature as he could wearing a hospital gown and sitting in a bed. "I am."

"You are sixteen?" she verified, inwardly scowling at his smaller than normal stature.

"Yes, seventeen in July."

Alyssa looked at the boy seriously. "As you are a minor, I will be your advocate. Since you are an illegal alien, underage, and a foreign hero, and don't scowl at me, young man. I don't approve of how the British have treated you, telling a child to kill another person, no matter how terrible that person may be. The fact of the matter remains, however, that if what you say is true, and Voldemort is dead, then you have saved a great many people.

You must understand, however, that I, alone, cannot hide you away here. Thumbing our nose at the British would be fun, certainly, but we must do it legally. I will speak to some people, quietly, and see if we can't start the process for you."

Harry sighed in relief, leaning back into the crinkly hospital pillow. "Thank you, ma'am." he whispered, sincerity obvious in his voice.

Alyssa smiled at the young man, and laid a hand on his shoulder in an offer of comfort. "What brought you here?" she asked, gesturing to the room. "Are you hurt?"

Harry shook his head. "No, Madam Pomphrey, our school nurse at Hogwarts, healed most of my injuries. I'm just... tired." he admitted, looking down shyly, as if embarrassed at admitting weakness. "I'm not quite sure how I came to be here."

"Here as in?..."

"The hospital. Forks. When I apparated away, I'd intended to go to California, but... magical travel has never quite agreed with me." he said, torn between amusement and disgust.

Alyssa frowned. "Am I to understand that you attempted an overseas apparation when you know that your skills are lacking?" she asked, severely. "Well no wonder you're tired, young man. It's a wonder you have all your body parts with you! You no doubt expended a great deal of energy in the battle with that tyrant, were injured, then apparated here? I see whomever we place you with will have their hands full."

Harry paled, and bowed his head at the scolding, but he was confused. He was normally congratulated, encouraged even, when he pulled risky stunts. "I'm.. sorry?"

Alyssa sighed, anger dissipating. "Promise me you'll remain where you are and give us adults a chance to prove to you we aren't all expecting you to be more than a teenager?"

Harry nodded his head again, head still bowed and still confused. "Yes, ma'am."

Alyssa nodded her head, and lifted Harry's chin so he could see her. "I'm going to talk to your doctor now, James, and see how long he intends to keep you here. I'm also going to see about arranging someplace for you to stay for the time being. I'll be back to see you before I leave. You be good now, and get some more sleep. You're magical core is exhausted. Just like when the body is tired, sleep and time is the only way to rest and replenish it."

Alyssa smiled at Harry, and yanked the chain controlling his lights a couple of times to turn them off before walking out to speak to the doctor.

**Ending Notes:** So there you have it. Harry's been discovered, but it's not necessarily a bad thing. Next chapter will include Dr. Cullen, the US President of Magic, and Harry's temporary home. Who's he staying with? -grin- That would be telling! You'll just have to wait!

Also, please forgive any spelling and grammar mistakes. I used a spell checker, but obviously it doesn't know if I spell Legilimency right, for example. Run-on sentences are my biggest grammatical weakness.


	3. Chapter 3  Discussions

**Author's Notes:**

Hi again! I'd like to address a couple of quick questions I got in reviews that won't spoil the story. This story is Canon in Harry Potter up until the end of Order of the Phoenix. Unfortunately that means Sirius is dead. :( I hate that too, but I couldn't quite figure out how to work him in. Poor guy. In Twilight this diverges from canon almost at the beginning of the first book. No date has been mentioned, but I'm putting the story in about mid-February. Edward's met Bella, but is currently avoiding her because of the car accident incident. Since I'm using the Twilight time line, the dates come from the Twilight Lexicon.

**Poll!**

There's a poll on my profile page, please take a look at it and vote.

**Starting Anew**

by

Little Grey Kitten

**Chapter 3 – Discussions**

As a vampire over 350 years old Carlisle wasn't often surprised by anything. He'd watched the world change and evolve around him. Normal every day things for him now would have been considered witchcraft when he was human. Medical advancements were made every day now. New things were invented, old things improved upon, and yet despite it all, it was routine.

Hearing, but not smelling anything more than perfume, a woman enter into young Mr. Orion's room surprised him though. The conversation that followed shocked him. Eavesdropping was a occupational hazard of being a vampire. It wasn't that he wanted to hear everything said within a certain distance, it was simply unavoidable.

That James Orion, or rather Harry Potter, lied about his name, wasn't that much of a shock, Carlisle mused to himself. All things considered, he should have expected it. He did wonder where the name came from then. The young man had known and been comfortable with the names, even when despair flashed in his green eyes.

When the child admitted that Voldemort was dead and 'they'd made him a murderer', Carlisle's still heart wept. No child, human or otherwise should ever be forced into murder. It was no wonder he'd run away. No wonder he'd changed his name.

Some moments later, Carlisle listened to the woman, Alyssa McPhearson, tell James that she wanted to speak to the doctor, and admonished the teen to be good and get some sleep. The knock came just a few moments later.

"Come in," Carlisle said, sitting behind his desk and watching the woman enter. They gazed quietly at one another for a few brief moments, each gathering their thoughts.

"I suppose," began Alyssa, "That being a vampire, you over heard my conversation with Mr. Orion?"

Decided not to show his shock, despite the oddness of the long-since-felt emotion, Carlisle nodded his head once, gesturing to the leather chairs for her to sit down. "I did," he admitted, deciding to treat this meeting as any other with Child Protective Services.

"Mr. Orion was brought in last night at 11:48 by Assistant Police Chief Ralph Booth. Officer Booth reported that he found the young man on the side of the road, unconscious, but seemingly not injured, just 'skinny as hell'.

"Upon examination, I estimated the boy to be fourteen to fifteen years old. He has a fair amount of old scars, and is poorly nourished. He has a mild upper respiratory infection, for which his his currently being treated. He was also dehydrated and is receiving IV fluids. The malnourishment, scars, and his small stature point to neglect, if not out right abuse. He had no identification on him, and was admitted as a John Doe. I faxed my report to the local police department. Mr. Orion woke up early this afternoon and gave us his alias."

Alyssa jotted down some notes as she listened to Dr. Cullen's report, nodding occasionally. Once his report was finished, Alyssa pulled out her wand and wordlessly cast a spell.

"That was a silencing charm, Dr. Cullen. What we are about to speak of must not leave this room." Upon seeing Carlisle's agreement, Alyssa continued. "James Orion, as you overheard, is Harry Potter. He's a sixteen-year-old wizard from England. Do you keep up with wizarding affairs, Dr. Cullen?"

Carlisle shook his head. "Not as such. Some time ago vampires, even here, were approached by a 'Lord Voldemort' offering us freedoms and rights in exchange for joining his side. My family and I consider our selves 'vegetarians'." he explained. "We don't wish to harm humans, and our diet is entirely that of animals. Deer, bears, wild cats, and the like."

Alyssa nodded her head, inwardly surprised, and obviously pleased. "I had wondered how a vampire was able to work as a physician." she admitted, hoping, but not demanding an answer.

Carlisle offered a charming smile. "All I ever wanted was to help people. At the beginning of my new existence I did not realize I could get nourishment, relief from the ever present burn of thirst, from animals. I tried, many times to starve myself in an attempt to end my life. Once I realized that I could drink from animals, it became easier. The smell of human blood no longer burns."

"And your family?" Alyssa asked, just stopping herself from using the word 'coven'.

"They are also vegetarians, although they struggle some. None of them want to hurt others, and hunt animals often."

Alyssa quietly considered all that the doctor had revealed. They were both taking risks in sharing the information that they had. The Cullen family had obviously worked very hard to appear no different from any other human in the area. She'd do some nosing about, but she hadn't heard of any vampire-related deaths in the area. Wizards took their privacy so very seriously. They were both trusting each other to keep the other's secret.

Sighing slightly, and knowing that until she was able to get an appointment with the President of Magic Dr. Cullen was her only ally in keeping young Mr. Orion safe, she nodded her head and looked Dr. Cullen in the eye.

"James Orion, as you now know, is Harry James Potter. He was identified, in a prophecy, to be the only person capable of defeating the Dark Lord Voldemort. The problem with Voldemort was largely contained to the British Isles, but by your own admission he was attempting to gather allies here in the US. Likely if he had managed to overcome and conquer the UK, he would have tried to extend his rule even here. As he is dead now, that is neither here nor there.

"What is important, however, is a sixteen-year-old boy who never asked to be a hero, never asked to be a murderer. He feels betrayed by those who should have protected him. Prophecies are fallible, Dr. Cullen, and often are forced. A prophecy ignored,or disbelieved, will rarely, if ever, come true. Voldemort and his followers, while powerful, could have been defeated by a strong, coordinated attack by the British Aurors if they'd been so inclined." the disdain was obvious in her voice.

Carlisle's rarely seen ire flared. As a doctor and a religious man before that, the very concept of what the British Wizards had done to a child was repugnant. "What can I do, beyond medical treatment?" he asked.

Alyssa offered the doctor a tight smile. "Mr. Orion is a minor, and technically an illegal alien. I will be talking to the American Wizarding Government about asylum for him, but he needs a place to stay until then."

Carlisle nodded his head in understanding. "Would that I could offer, but my children, while good at resisting the urge, are not infallible. If he were to get so much as a paper cut he could be in danger."

Alyssa nodded her head in understanding, but smiled. "There are potions that can he can take, harmless to you and him both, that would make the scent of his blood unappetizing to even the most ravenous of vampires. If you and your family were willing to take him in, I would be more than willing to procure a supply of the potion for him. I'm not asking for long-term placement with you, Dr. Cullen. Just someplace safe for him until I can arrange something more permanent."

"I will speak to my family," Carlisle said, after several quiet moments of consideration. "Mr. Orion will need to remain here a few more days, and that will give me time to speak to my wife and children about this. You understand that I can't make the decision for them. It would be needlessly stressful for everybody to simply bring the child into our home."

Deciding to be take mercy on the woman, Carlisle smiled. "I expect that, by and large, he'll be welcomed in our family. I only expect resistance from one, after the potion is explained at least."

"Thank you, Dr. Cullen. I will explore alternative placement in the meanwhile, as well as contact the President. I will keep in touch and return here tomorrow to speak to Mr. Orion again.

**Meanwhile, in England...**

Albus Dumbledore sat in his office. Many of his gizmos and gadgets were still destroyed from Harry's temper-tantrum at the end of last year. The gadgets were actually magical alarms that were tied in to certain spells and wards. With the destruction of the objects so was his ability to track disturbances in the wards, rendering them largely useless.

Many of them the Headmaster truly didn't care about that much, but one was a tracking spell/proximity alarm tied to Harry Potter's magical signature. It was what let him know where Harry Potter was and if he left any of Albus' approved areas. He'd been unable to take the time to repair the stupid thing and now it was coming back to bite him in the butt. Harry Potter was missing. Not only was Potter missing, but he'd disappeared under Albus' nose. From _**his**_ school! How dare that insolent boy thumb his nose at him. Him! Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts, Chief Warlock of the International Confederation of Wizards, Order of Merlin First Class holder, Supreme Mugwump, and Grand Sorcerer!

Albus had never been so insulted. That boy was his. His to teach, his to mold, his to honor or destroy! Harry Potter was his pathway to even greater accomplishments, greater riches, greater honors! Now, though, now the brat was gone?

No matter. The moment Potter used his wand, even just to signal the Knight Bus, the Ministry of Magic would track him, and Dumbledore would have the boy back.

So long as the boy didn't wait until he was 17 and the tracking spells automatically disappeared.

**Back in Forks**

A scruffy dog ambled down the side of the road, tail wagging as the rays of the rarely seen sun lit a wooden object laying in the dirt. The dog snuffled at the ground and sniffed the object, before picking it up and running off with it. His girl would play fetch with him now with this magnificent stick!

**Next Chapter**

Alyssa starts contacting the President of Magic, Carlisle talks with Harry.. Will the Cullen family take Harry in, or will Harry find himself at somebody else's home?

**Author's Note**

First off, I know there was no Harry in this chapter, and for that I apologize, but all he's doing right now is napping, blissfully unaware of what's going on for the moment. Second... don't expect updates this fast all the time. I was inspired today and had to write!

Third, and possibly most importantly, about Dumbledore. I don't think he's a bad person, especially in canon, but you can't deny that he's an old man with huge responsibilities, honors, and expectations heaped on him. He's human, and he's not perfect. He's no hidden Dark Lord, but he does want to use Harry to 'fix' things, and he's been the hero for so long that he can't quite accept that Harry did something that he, great wizard that he is, could not do.

Also I know I said we'd meet the President of Magic this chapter, but it's a bit too soon, and it's not going to be easy for Alyssa, who's just a worker in Children Protective Services to get in contact with him.

Sorry about the huge author's notes this chapter, I'll try to keep them shorter next time.


	4. Chapter 4  The Decision

Hi guys, this chapter's really short, and mostly an author's note to let you know that the story isn't abandoned or on 'hiatus'… which generally seems to mean 'it's abandoned, but I don't want to admit it.'

I have recently started college (only ten years late) and it's been something of a struggle to get used to college life, even if it's an online university. For any actually interested, I'm attending online classes at the Florida Institute of Technology. I'm getting my Associate of Science degree in Computer Information Technology. This term I'm taking Basic Writing Skills, and even though there's a lot of writing assignments, I'm hoping to continue this story to improve my writing skills.

I write without a beta, so any and all mistakes are my own. If you notice any glaring errors, either in spelling, grammar, or Harry Potter trivia (such as spell or character names) please let me know either in a review or a private message.

This chapter is mostly an interlude, and it brings the Cullen 'kids' into the story.

One last thing and I'll get on with the chapter. There is a poll on my profile page. Please take a moment to take a look at it and cast your vote. If there's a different character you'd like to see on the poll please let me know either in a review or private message.

**Starting Anew**

By

Little Grey Kitten

**Chapter 4 – Interlude with the Cullen Family**

Alice knew that her visions were of possible futures, but generally speaking, when she saw multiple versions of the same vision, whatever didn't change, definitely would happen. She was getting a brand new brother! She knew that Jasper would worry and Rosalie would complain, but Emmett would be thrilled, and Edward was currently obsessed with a human girl whose mind he couldn't read. Esme, she knew, would adore having somebody new to mother and cook for.

She wondered what the story would be when he started school as another Cullen. Would he be a cousin? Concentrating on the boy's appearance, she realized that the two of them looked somewhat similar. Maybe he could pose as somebody related to her!

Jasper looked at his wife with some amount of trepidation. She was excited about something, and generally that meant long, tense days, going shop-to-shop holding her bags and trying to ignore the temptations of all the people around him. Maybe he could talk Alice into just dragging Rosalie with her this time. Rosalie's emotions had been firmly set on bitter since Edward began obsessing over the new girl at school, Bella Swan, and he could use the break.

By the time that Carlisle was supposed to be home from the hospital, Alice was positively vibrating with excitement. She'd been mentally reciting Crazy Frog songs to keep Edward out of her head. She wasn't going to give him time to worry over anything before Carlisle could get home and assure them all that bringing this new person into their lives would be okay.

Alice nearly had to sit on her hands to stop from ambushing Carlisle when she heard his Mercedes turn into the drive. She forced herself to sit quietly as he walked in, was kissed by Esme, took off his gloves and coat and put them up neatly.

Carlisle looked at his family and smiled, before turning serious. "Why don't we all sit in the dining room? I need to speak to you all about something."

Concerned looks were shared, but Carlisle patiently waited for them to move to the dining room and sit down.

Unnecessarily clearing his throat, Carlisle began explaining the situation to his family. "Last night, a teenaged boy was brought to the hospital by Officer Booth," He began, and then explained to them exactly what had transpired. "If Mr. Potter is forced to return to the United Kingdom, he'll be alternately lauded as a hero and persecuted as a dark being. Child protective services and working on getting him asylum here, but until then he truly has nowhere to go, and nobody who can relate to him.

"Miss McPhearson has guaranteed that if we are willing to take in young Mr. Orion, then he will be supplied with a potion that will make the smell of his blood unappetizing to us, even if he should be wounded."

Jasper considered the situation, glancing briefly at Alice and wondering if this is what she was so excited about all day. "If the British Wizards find him here, won't we be considered either as kidnappers or aiding and abetting a criminal?"

Carlisle looked at Jasper, and shook his head. "Mr. Orion is too far away from the British Isles for him to be traced here, even if he did use his magic, but as it stands, he had no wand with him when he was discovered, and the American Offices of Magical Government will be looking into ways to permanently protect him from the British."

Esme smiled at Carlisle. "I would be very happy to welcome a new child into the family. It will be nice to be able to use this lovely kitchen, and the poor thing obviously needs a family and some stability in his life."

Carlisle kissed Esme's hand and smiled at her, then looked at his children. Surprisingly, it was Jasper who spoke first. "If we can adequately protect him and ourselves, then I see no reason not to offer him what we have."

Emmett, naturally, seemed happy with the idea, though Rosalie merely huffed. "What about you Edward, are you willing to let us bring somebody new to the family?" Esme asked, patting his hand.

"I see no problem with it, if it's all as Carlisle says it is." Edward said, knowing that he could simply listen in on this James' thoughts and see if he was a threat to their family.

Finally, finally Alice could no longer contain herself. "He could be my long lost brother!" she said, delightedly.

**Author's Note:** There you have it. Harry's got a new home, but you know it can't be _this_ easy. It'd be a boring piece of fanfiction if it were.

I'm not entirely certain when the next chapter will be out, but I promise I'll do my best to make sure you don't have to wait so long next time.


	5. Some Questions Answered

**The Giant Author's Note of DOOM!**

To begin; an anonymous reviewer mentioned that in my last chapter Carlisle referred to Harry as both Mr. Potter and Mr. Orion. Carlisle did this to emphasize a point. Mr. Potter is the Boy-Who-Lived in all his hyphenated glory, the Chosen One, the Savior, the defeater of Voldemort, and British runaway. Mr. Orion is a young wizard boy who just wants a chance to be normal and have a family that actually cares about him. Also, please don't be afraid to log in when you feel the need to criticize or correct me; I won't send you an evil message back telling you to back off. I _want_ to know when I make a mistake. All I ask is that, as this anonymous reviewer did, is remain polite. :)

**Dark Neko 4000 asked about Harry's godson, Teddy**. Neko, this story takes place two years before Teddy was born. Truth be told, Teddy may not even be born since the chain of events has changed so drastically.

little-bast has asked several questions, and I'll address some of them one at a time.

**About Harry's vaults**; I don't know as of yet. Assuming that Gringotts is the only Wizard bank in the world and that all branches are connected Harry could still access his vault even in the United States. The question is, can Dumbledore, in his capacity as Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, demand that the Goblins alert him if there's any activity on Harry's vaults beyond any interest that may be applied? Until I can work how that's going to work out, I'd say don't worry about it. Dumbledore can't access any of Harry's vaults and the Cullens are very well off. It's not going to take them long to figure out that Harry's been neglected (at best) most of his life, and Esme will want to mother her new son to bits, which will include buying things for him.

**Dobby and Remus are alive, but Sirius is gone.**

**You also asked if anybody that Harry considers family has turned on him. **The simple answer is that the only person that's 'turned on him' is Dumbledore. It gets complicated when you consider that people believe that Dumbledore can only speak the Gospel Truth and that Harry's reputation ebbs and flows like the tide. Who do you believe; a 140-plus year old Merlin-like man who's defeated his own Dark Lord or a partially educated teenager who's alternately lauded as a hero and feared to be the next Dark Lord? Also, people are sheep, and that includes Ron and Hermione.

**About Madam Pomphrey and her neglecting to report the signs of abuse as is her duty.** The problem is that we all base this on 'Muggle' ideals and laws. In our society a school nurse would report signs of abuse to Social Services as mandated by law. We would never put a teenager in front of a mafia boss and say 'He killed your parents, now you kill him.' We have laws against slander and libel, especially when it pertains to minors. The Wizarding World, started making its mistakes very, very early in the series though. I give you Dumbledore taking Harry and leaving him on a doorstep _all night long_ in _November _for example_. _ (I assume that by the time Harry's left on the Dursley's doorstep it's past midnight, thus making it November 1.) The average low in Surrey is 4 degrees Celsius, which is about 39 degrees Fahrenheit. What kind of moron is going to leave a defenseless baby out in that?

Even Hagrid is suspect, as far as I'm concerned. Not only did a person who only has three years education in magic, and who only has a taped together wand, _fly_ an infant who knows how far on a motorcycle that was not his, but I refuse to believe that he replicated that many letters and never noticed that the address included 'Cupboard Under the Stairs.'

If you wonder why I mentioned Hagrid's taped together wand, I refer you to Book 2 where Gilderoy Lockhart Obliviates himself using Ron's taped together wand. Enough said.

If you really think about it, and remember from the first book, when Hagrid said that he borrowed the bike from Sirius Black, who was Harry's godfather, and who at that point in time had committed no crime. Godparents are people chosen by parents to take care of their child if something had happened to them. If Dumbledore hadn't circumvented that, and had simply given Harry to Sirius then, not only would Harry have had a fairly stable home, but Sirius most likely would not have been convicted of killing Pettigrew. As a matter of fact, Sirius could have testified that Pettigrew was the Potter's secret keeper. Pettigrew would have probably been incarcerated or kissed and would not have been able to help Voldemort come back in Harry's fourth year. So much could have been prevented; including us having a fantastic story to pick at and write fanfiction about.

Wall of text aside, the Wizarding World apparently operates on different rules regarding the safety of minors than we do.

**As for Harry buying land and setting himself up as a herboligist**, I don't know about herbologist, but Harry living on his own before he's 18 in Harry Potter/Twilight crossovers, is far too overdone. He's not going to be emancipated. Furthermore, as I said in the last chapter, yes Harry has a family now, but it's not going to be _that_ easy. There are still some hurdles to jump. Besides, the Cullen children have lived with their 'parents' for a long time, why can't Harry have some extended time with them too? (Also, I can't even keep a tomato plant alive, so if I were to write about Harry being a herbologist I'd have to do a ton of research…)

**Crocadile1986 asked if Bella's going to be a large part of the story.** Not really, I don't think. This story is largely Harry-centric, even if it doesn't appear so yet, and Edward's too obsessed with Bella right now to pay much attention to Harry. Also, my favorite characters are Alice and Jasper, and Harry's going to be posing as Alice's 'long lost brother.' Don't blame me for that. Alice wouldn't have it any other way, and you know how she is.

**SR2 asked me how the US Department of Magic tracked Harry's magic as underage and if there's a cooperation between the US and UK magical governments.** How did the UK Ministry of Magic track a house elf levitating a cake and determine it was Harry in the second book? Many fanfiction writers believe that there is a spell put on the wands of underage wizards that tracks their magic until they turn 17. I'm going with that and adding that it's a universal spell, and that so long as the government was tracking spells cast by underage wizards outside of a wizarding school campus, they'd see it. An adult's spell casting wouldn't have registered because the tracking spell would have been dissolved.

As far as cooperation between the US and UK goes... They're allies, like Muggle US and UK, but that's about it. Canon doesn't give us any clue if the Wizarding World in other cultures is as backward as the culture in European Wizarding World. For all we know, the American Wizards might be ultra-modern and actually use notebooks and pens instead of parchment and quills. They might not even wear robes except during certain ceremonies or school pictures.

**Bettyboop asked if Harry will be continuing his Wizarding Education.** Honestly, I hadn't thought about that yet. I want Harry to be able to spend time with his new family rather than see them for a couple of weeks during the summer and on Easter and Christmas holidays. Let's call it a surprise until I can decide what to do. *embarrassed laugh*

**Finally, nobody's asked this yet, but no, Harry's not getting his wand back**. The dog from chapter 3 still couldn't get his girl to play fetch and so used Harry's wand as a chew toy instead. All that's left is a few splinters and a phoenix feather coated in dog drool.

So ends the Giant Author's Note of DOOM! Here's hoping I don't get reported and booted off the site for this! To avoid another giant author's note chapter from happening again, if you have any more questions, I'll answer them to you individually in a private message from now on, so make sure that you sign in if you really want a question answered.

Next chapter coming… soon, but I need to work on this week's assignments first. Sorry guys. School has to come before fanfiction.


	6. Forgive Me

I want to apologize to you.

When I began this story I loved Harry Potter, and had loved it for years. I even held some fondness for Twilight. When I began the story, it was mostly a distraction. My father was ill, possibly dying, and I needed to write about somebody gaining what I feared I was losing. Who better than Harry, who deserved and needed a family who would be good to him so badly? I hadn't intended on writing more than that first chapter; I wanted anybody who read it to create their own fantasy ending for my tiny little story.

I got some reviews when the story was posted, all encouraging me to add more, to write more, to let them know what happened. I was flattered. The joy that I felt from receiving such validation, such encouragement to continue convinced me to try writing more. I read slash, that's fairly evident from my favorites, but I didn't want to write it. I've never been in a relationship, good or bad, so how could I effectively write about something I don't truly understand, even at the age of 29? I know family though; I have a wonderful family that I'm so grateful for. When I made the decision to continue with Starting Anew, I made the decision to keep it as bereft of gratuitous romance as I could. Harry didn't need a romance, he needed a family.

The truth of the matter is, however, that I'm not a writer, no matter how long-winded I tend to be when I do. I may have some marginal talent in the art, I may not, and I'm fine with that now. Barring my essays for college, I've never finished a single thing I've ever wrote. I have hundreds of pages of unfinished and utterly terrible stories sitting lifelessly on my hard drive. Most of them I haven't looked at in years.

Worse, and this admission is actually somewhat painful, I don't enjoy Harry Potter so much anymore. The books began disappointing me from _Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix _onward, and the epilogue was so vapid and unsatisfactory that, unlike the first four books, I never picked up _Deathly Hallows _again.

I invested a great deal of time into the world of Harry Potter. I read and reread the first four books more times than what ought to be acceptable. Harry Potter did not necessarily introduce me to fan-fiction, I have Sailor Moon to thank for that, but it fueled an obsession that sometimes I think borders on the unhealthy. I obsess over things one at a time and those obsessions linger for years. First there was Star Trek, then Knight Rider, a long, long 'romance' with Sailor Moon, a brief interlude with Card Captor Sakura, and then Harry Potter.

Like the myriad of other things I've obsessed over, I'll never fall completely out of love with Harry's story. I still watch the odd episode of the various TV shows I loved and browse old anime websites to remind myself of a simpler time. In the future, I'll probably reread Harry Potter, but I just can't write it anymore.

So this is my apology. You have no idea just how sorry I am. I also hope that you will read this as the apology and sincere thanks it is meant to be, and not some pathetic cry for attention. There are those who have read the story and liked it and encouraged me to continue because you want to see how it finishes. I hate finding a good story and reading it only for the author to abandon it, despite promises not to. I hate that I have become what I so detest.

I'll leave this notice up for a week or two, and then I'll be pulling Starting Anew down.

But, before I do, I want to thank those that added my story to their Story Alerts and to their Favorites. I'd especially like to thank those of you who took the time to write me a review. Your kind words brought a great deal of joy to me and brightened more than a few gloomy days. For that, for all of you who felt like my story was something of worth, I thank you. If you'll forgive me for quoting Shakespeare, I'll leave you with this:

"That light we see is burning in my hall.

How far that little candle throws his beams!

So shines a good deed in a [weary] world."

Thanks for being my little candles.


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